US senator urges military action if Hamas, Hezbollah remain armed
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JERUSALEM: US Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday (Dec 21) called for renewed military action against Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah if the two groups fail to disarm, accusing the Palestinian Islamist movement of entrenching its control in Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire.
Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Israel, Graham, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, said Israel and its partners should impose a deadline on Hamas to surrender its weapons or face renewed fighting.
“It’s imperative we come up with a plan quickly, put Hamas on a time clock, give them a period of time to achieve the goal of disarmament,” Graham said. “And if you don’t, I would encourage President Trump to unleash Israel to go finish off Hamas.”
HAMAS ‘CONSOLIDATING POWER’
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place since October, pausing two years of devastating war in the Gaza Strip, although both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations.
Graham said the truce risked collapse if Hamas remained armed, arguing the group was using the lull to strengthen its grip on the territory.
“Ninety days after the ceasefire, they are consolidating power in Gaza,” he said, adding that lasting peace in the region would be impossible unless Hamas was removed from Gaza’s future.
Israel has made the dismantling of Hamas’s military capabilities a central demand for any long-term settlement. The second phase of the ceasefire is meant to include an Israeli withdrawal, the establishment of an interim governing authority and the demilitarisation of Gaza.
WARNING OVER HEZBOLLAH
Graham extended his warning to Hezbollah, saying military action should also be considered if the Iran-backed group refuses to give up its heavy weapons.
“If Hezbollah refuses to give up their heavy weapons, down the road we should engage in military operations working with Lebanon, Israel and the United States,” he said, suggesting joint action with Israel.
A separate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in November 2024 after more than a year of cross-border hostilities, though Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory have continued. The Lebanese government says it has begun disarming Hezbollah in the south, a claim Israel has questioned, while the group itself has repeatedly rejected calls to lay down its arms.
TURKEY ROLE REJECTED
Graham also voiced strong opposition to Turkey’s involvement in any international stabilisation force in Gaza, saying it would be unacceptable to Israel.
“There is no political support anywhere in Israel for having Turkey involved in the stabilising force,” he said, warning it would “rock Israel to its core”.
His remarks came a day after the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey urged restraint and called on all sides to uphold the Gaza ceasefire, as mediators push for progress toward the second phase of the deal.
Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of continued ceasefire violations. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported Israeli artillery shelling in parts of southern Khan Yunis on Sunday, while earlier strikes this week reportedly killed civilians sheltering in a school.
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